X-ray machine detection is commonly used for scanning containers, packages, parcels, and baggage (collectively referred to herein as “container(s)”) at airports, seaports, and border crossings and may be employed for scanning mail and used by building security to scan containers entering buildings. X-ray machines may be used to detect explosives, drugs, or other contraband by analyzing a density of the item(s) under examination, and x-ray capabilities may be further enhanced with computed tomography (CT) imaging technology. X-ray CT imaging technology uses a computer to process x-rays into one or more slices of a specific area within a scanned container to allow an x-ray technician to see inside the container without the need to otherwise open the container. Further computer processing may be used to generate a three-dimensional image of the inside of the container from a series of two-dimensional x-rays images. Software with a pre-loaded threat library and graphical user interface (GUI) may be used to automate x-ray CT imaging to automatically detect threats and alert an x-ray technician to possible threats within the container.
Regulators of x-ray CT systems may require a technical standard or technical specification to establish uniform engineering, methods, processes, and practices related to x-ray CT systems. The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) has accredited technical standard ANSI N42.45-2011 for evaluating an image quality of x-ray CT security-screening systems in a factory or original equipment manufacturer (OEM) environment. Performance testing of x-ray CT systems following the standard evaluates an x-ray CT system's ability to produce an image of the container as well as the system software's ability to automatically analyze image data to make a threat determination.
The present application is directed to a novel test article and methods to evaluate the image quality of X-ray CT security-screening systems.